Why does one in 10 Western women develop breast cancer, compared to 1 in 10,000 in China? The Chinese don’t consume dairy products. The colloquial name for breast cancer in China is “rich women’s disease,” because they eat ice cream or cheese, just like in Hong Kong.
Epidemiological studies are also beginning to highlight the link between milk and cancer. So how can dairy products, so beloved and adored by Westerners, not to mention Americans whose diet contains 40% of it, have such harmful effects?
Breast milk is the perfect food for a baby mammal. It can’t eat adult food. But milk contains a powerful chemical—insulin-like growth factor-1, or IGF-1—found naturally in pubescent girls because it promotes breast development. This chemical, designed to stimulate growth, may also promote uncontrolled cell growth.
